A funny, almost magical thing happened just hours after Bernie MacMillan’s last shift at the Leamington Heinz factory.

Suddenly jobless, like hundreds of others, when the 104-year-old company closed its doors Friday, the forklift operator arrived home at noon to an urgent text from his Grade 8 daughter. Both parents were to report to the school at 2:30 p.m. sharp but the 14-year-old couldn’t say why. It was the last day of school. MacMillan was worried.

“What could possibly have happened for the teacher to want to meet with us?” fretted the father of two, one of 740 workers who lost their jobs when the company was sold and the new owners moved production away.

He woke up wife Lisa, a night-shift nurse who works full time now that Bernie is unemployed, and together they headed to Queen of Peace Catholic Elementary School — where the mystery grew even deeper. All Grade 8 parents had been summoned, yet nobody seemed to know why.

Finally Principal Michael Cusinato took the podium and announced to a stunned crowd that an anonymous donor had pledged each Grade 8 graduate a scholarship for university or college — up to $10,000 per year, up to $40,000 each — as long as they graduated from Cardinal Carter Catholic High School rather than a public school.

It was a cool $1.6-million gift in total.

The room went silent.

“It was surreal; we didn’t know if it was a joke, but it wasn’t April Fool’s,” said a dumbfounded MacMillan. Slowly, the message sank in and the room exploded with emotion.

“It’s one of the few times I’ve seen my husband cry,” said Lisa. “We were devastated by the closing of the Heinz plant — it completely changed our lives, but this generous gift has now also completely changed our lives.”

At the donor’s request, school board officials won’t reveal the source of the mystery money, “but I can say it’s someone whose goal is to promote Catholic education and lifelong learning after secondary school — and who very much values the Leamington community,” said Cusinato, who said there were “tears and cheers and a standing ovation when they realized it was the real deal.”

In announcing a gift for everyone in the audience, Cusinato said “I kind of felt like Oprah!”

The fact the donation applies only to those who stay in the Catholic system is particularly sweet for Cardinal Carter, because nearly 12 of the 40 Queen of Peace grads — an unusually high number — had considered the local public school, Leamington District Secondary School, possibly drawn by the new building under construction.

But with the new scholarship, some of those, including the DiCiocco triplets, have decided on Cardinal Carter.

“Every day I would wake up wondering how I would put all three girls through college or university, so we’re thrilled at the offer and of course they’ll all absolutely go to Cardinal Carter,” said Tony DiCiocco, father of Mia, Dea and Gioia, 14.

“This scholarship is huge for us. It’s massive. It’s a $40,000 scholarship for each of them and we’re extremely grateful.”

The MacMillans’ daughter Alyssa also had planned to attend the public high school where her mother went, but has changed her plans and will go to Cardinal Carter for the scholarship, said mother Lisa.

“We’re not a family that can pass up that gift.”

Heather Mastronardi now realizes why the principal told parents like her to sit down for the announcement — “because we would have fallen down” in shock. Her daughter Ashlin said she hopes to use the scholarship to learn hairdressing at a community college.

“It’s such a beautiful gift,” said Ashlin, 14. “Some parents were crying, some were laughing, some were hugging each other.”

Yolla Tannous’s husband was laid off five months ago from a John Deere plant and has just started his own small engine repair shop, so the scholarship for daughter Angelica is “overwhelming,” she said.

To single mother Teresa Avelar, it means daughter Paz “can now graduate from university debt-free.

“They say education is the best gift a parent can give their child, but for a total stranger to give education to all these children? He could have bought himself a big boat with that money instead,” she said. “I’m still in awe.”

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